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I can’t believe I’m making this post in 2018. The graphic design field has been around a long time and with it has come from many changes. To this day, my biggest fear is automation and templating taking over custom design work, and in some ways it has. But custom design is only going to be reformatted so it will become custom template design. Anyway, how in 2018 are we still having issues with clients ripping off designers and screwing them over for their hours and work?
I recently had a negative experience regarding a former client relationship that has made me feel extremely defeated in regards to my own work. It was so disappointing that I no longer feel comfortable wearing their product and giving them free press. I will probably eventually donate the product or give it to a women’s homeless shelter. Because the experience has left such a bad taste in my mouth, I no longer want their energy around me. And due to legal reasons, I will never mention them or their brand on any of my websites – portfolio or personal again, and will delete any posts mentioning them.
Unfortunately, more often than not, lack of communication within projects is the cause for failure and that was certainly the case with this client relationship. When they first signed me on, I loved what their brand stood for, their identity, the work and effort that was put into it, their cause, the results that they were getting, everything! However the structure within this particular brand was abysmal. At the rebirth of this client relationship I suggested forming a contract with these people and to be honest, I am SO glad nothing formal ever got signed, and honestly I don’t know if a contract would have made all of this easier. I take it as a HUGE red flag that they ignored my requests to work with me through my refined and simplified processes and failed to work with me on developing structure. They wanted their work done their way or the highway and I’m sorry but that attitude won’t get you ANYWHERE. At almost 28, I’ve been in this field for awhile now, and have learned and grew from my own mistakes and one of those mistakes is to never work with a brand who refuses to collaborate with an external employee with their work-style. If they had hired me as a full-time employee, that’s one thing, but otherwise as a freelancer/external employee, I am not obligated to work with them in any work-style whatsoever. Them however, they never really owned up to their mistakes and continued to take it out on me.
Secondly, they had based my understanding of graphic design based off their shoddy communication style and accused my work of being basic. I’m sorry, but I’ve been in this field for several years, with success with working with other brands. Telling a designer their work and understanding is basic after what I’ve gone through is an insult and extremely immature. They also took issue with the fact I included the work done with them in my portfolio when no communication was ever given me to say no. I will assume that it will be okay unless you specifically tell me or depending on the company I will ask. I have always asked if work done with a company will be OK to put in a portfolio. Any other company has, especially at larger companies, I had to sign a waiver saying work done with them was to be discreet or secret and that never happened here.
They also refused to pay me right way. The main issue was I had done their work and requests within a week to meet a deadline, all the while working at my 9-5 job and during every waking minute. By the end of that week, the person in charge halted the project because they accused me that my short and to the point emails as being hostile and rude… yet, refused to give clear instructions after I asked every single time when they gave instructions. I wasted an ENORMOUS amount of time working on this and my paying hours at my 9-5 was also wasted. You do work, and get paid that’s it. Creativity in a tight span of time is also not an option, it doest not work that way. Creativity takes time and therefore you also have to pay for that time and like any transaction you get the job done and then get paid for it, no if, ands or butts.
They also had to hire (and take advantage of) a high school student to finish the job. That is a slap in the face and a testimony to the fact that they do not value time, work and value a trained professional to do the job and wanted something cheap. If they were willing to work with me from the start none of this would have happened. If you wanted something above standard, you PAY for it.
I am extremely disappointed in this experience and I am also not ashamed to say that it has affected me emotionally as well as psychologically. It also happened during a period of time that was high-stress in my life and now I seem to be phasing out of that. The one thing that it has helped me understand is that it’s becoming ever more clear that I need to phase out of freelance work and put that energy into other areas of my artistic practice.
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